 |
| Click here for more information |
I took a blogging break in April - no new posts, only visiting other blogs occasionally, etc. - with two priorities in mind: settle into a new house and get back to the novel that's had me stymied for longer than I care to admit.
How did it go? This photo of my office says it all -
It was a month of upheaval - some predictable, some not - and I didn't get done even close to what I wanted to accomplish. Were my expectations too high or did I just not push myself hard enough? I don't know.
So, here we are in May. I still don't have much of a clue as to what's going on or what I'm doing, but I'm going to follow in the tortoises' footsteps - take it slow and steady, slow and steady, and I'll get to where I need to go, to where I need to be. Eventually.
I finally emptied the last box four years after we moved. LOL!
ReplyDeleteYou're doing it right. Slow and steady. Don't be surprised if a couple of boxes stay unopened for a very long time though.
It looks like you have a nice space for your office.
Four years?! I feel so much better. :)
DeleteI really do like my office space, though I'm still struggling to make it feel more "mine."
When we moved two years ago, it must have taken six months before we completely unpacked. But, there's five of us, so there was a lot of stuff. So there's no need to rush it, like you said.
ReplyDeleteProblem is, I thought I would be done by now, all set up and ready to go, riding that wave of momentum. But life has other plans. Sigh.
DeleteSlow and steady sounds good to me. The only thing you really have to unpack is anything writing related. After that, it's not important :-)
ReplyDeleteAh, good point. :)
DeleteYou sound like me. I hope things get better for you soon.
ReplyDeleteIWSG #134 until Alex culls the list again.
Me, too. :)
DeleteProbably a good thing you weren't trying to do the Challenge on top of it all.
ReplyDeleteHope it all comes together for you soon.
I agree. I probably would've stopped part way through then felt like a failure for not finishing. As if I need more angst!
DeleteMoving throws your entire life into upheaval. I think you're doing just fine!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog during the Challenge. It was much appreciated. :)
If it was just the moving upheaval, I'd push through, but it's the addition of other life stuff that's making it harder to focus, to gain momentum of any kind.
DeleteYou're welcome! I really enjoyed your theme. :)
You're right on track. Cheering you on!
ReplyDeleteThank you! And thanks for joining us here at TSR. :)
DeleteMadeline, tortoise steps all add up. Sometimes in life we just have to keep plugging away. Eventually, we get there and along the way we have those spurts where we accomplish so much over short times such as weekends.
ReplyDeleteStephen Tremp
IWSG Co-host
Those steps really do add up. I've seen our tortoises MOVE when they want to. :)
DeleteThanks for joining us here at TSR!
You made good progress, though! That counts. Taking things slow and steady is always best. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Chrys! I guess I should try to focus on the progress I did make....
DeleteSlow and steady sounds like a good plan. Just focus on one thing at a time and not all of the things at once!
ReplyDeleteI'll try! :)
DeleteMoves are never quite smooth. There are always unexpected things that come up. Glad to see you back and the office doesn't look too bad. You can sit in your chair.
ReplyDeleteMy old office had carpet and not bare floor so every time I sit down in the new space, my chair rolls backward! :)
DeleteI don't think you should beat yourself up or feel like you didn't push yourself hard enough. You had so much going on! There is only so much anyone can do. The tortoises are right on the money. Take it easy and give yourself a chance to relax after all the upheaval.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I remember how to take it easy or how to relax. Maybe the tortoises - who are basking under their heat light right now - can remind me....
DeleteSo hard to make the progress you think you should when you take a break. And for me it is hard to get back into it, too. Best of luck to you!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Hart. It was supposed to be a working kind of break. Maybe that was my mistake. Maybe I should've just made it an actual, non-working break?
DeleteSlow and steady sounds like a good way to go... works for tortoise, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that all writing-related odds & ends are at the top of the boxes... so that's half the battle won.
Happy IWSG Day!
Writer In Transit
It does seem to work for the tortoises. :)
DeleteAll my writing-related things are in one room now so that's something.
I hope your upheaval settles down and you accomplish everything you want to do. Best of luck, and take another break if you need it. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Loni! :)
DeleteFollow those tortoises! I'm sure you'll make more progress than you realize. :) Slow and steady wins the race!
ReplyDeleteThey are pretty wise. :)
DeleteYes, slow and steady and slow and steady does it. You will reach your destination soon :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rachna!
DeleteSlow and steady will get you where you need to go. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from Elements of Writing
I hope so!
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteYour office looks good in comparison to mine. I started cleaning my office and filing away old papers just before the challenge, and after the challenge started I gave up. Now I have the same chaos.
I read a book on writing by Phyllis Whitney lately. I found it in the open internet library. She talks about her own office and how it looked. So, I have settled myself down a little and think so long as I have some idea of what kind of chaos lies on my desk, it's okay.
As for your book, well, be easy on yourself. I know that sounds like, oh yeah, but I don't mean it that way. Relax and wait until your main character or characters start talking to you. I was stymied for almost six months. It took me two months to finally accept that I didn't know where to go next and another two months to stop beating myself on the head and relax. I started having fun doing those things I love to do like reading, playing my piano and singing and it happened. I woke up one night at the beginning of the seventh month and my main character was talking to me.
So what I'm trying to say is what you're doing right now is the best medicine. Take it slow and easy. Don't push yourself. You only tighten up when that happens and you defeat yourself.
Have a great day, Madeline.
Shalom,
Patricia
Thanks so much, Patricia. I'm especially going to remember the idea of not defeating myself.
DeleteSlow and steady is the best way for me, Madeline, so I hope it works for you too.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know it works that way for you, too. :)
DeleteI NEVER get as much done as what I plan in my head. They have an expression in Guatemala "poco a poco" little by little, and really it is how things get done for all of us, just one small step at a time.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it's not just me!
DeleteI am often awestruck at people who can move and pack things away within a few days at their new place. I moved last May, and I'm still trying to get organized. So take your time. =)
ReplyDeleteYou all are making me feel much better about things. :)
DeleteGlad to know I'm not the only one. I was just telling someone that I'm now in that situation where I have THOSE boxes left to unpack. You know the ones--they just stay around forever, reminding you that you still aren't finished!
ReplyDeleteI am feeling very unfinished....
DeleteI say it'll all happen when it's supposed to happen just like you said. :) Moving isn't easy and it always takes time. Just remember to take time for yourself because it is stressful. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kimberly! :)
DeleteIt feels like sometimes the more I expect from myself the less I get done. I'd say that probably means the expectations are too high. Good luck getting settled in and writing!
ReplyDeleteThat totally happens to me, too! Thanks for the reminder, and for the good wishes.
Delete